


Hold You High, Steal Your Pain

by bouquetofwhoopsiedaisies



Series: Keith and the Blade of Marmora [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Biology, Body Exploration, Breeding Kink, Kink Discovery, Knotting, M/M, Medical Kink, Porn with Feelings, Praise Kink, Some Emotional Hurt/Comfort, This was supposed to be a humorous drabble and now its 4.7K of feelings and smut, Xenophilia, mentions of pregnancy but not actually present
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 07:15:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15814059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bouquetofwhoopsiedaisies/pseuds/bouquetofwhoopsiedaisies
Summary: “Oh no, do we really have to have the bird and the bees talk?”  Keith made a face.Ulaz paused, blinking in confusion.  “I haven’t the faintest idea what either of those things are.”(Ulaz and Keith have a little talk about Galran anatomy.  It gets a bit hands-on, and unexpectedly heartfelt)





	Hold You High, Steal Your Pain

**Author's Note:**

> Anon requested "I would love to see Ulaz have a sit down birds and bees talk with Keith explaining all about galra anatomy and getting distracted during it by getting more hands on." 
> 
> I actually had these ideas bouncing around in my head since the start of the series, especially the Galra-anatomy-hands-on-lesson-getting-out-of-control idea, but I think I thought “no… this series is a lot of things, but is medical kink too out-there? Too weird? I’ll just keep that lil nugget in my brain...” So thank you, mystery anon, for letting me know _someone_ out there would want to read it. I just hope it’s too your liking, since I got kinda carried away… 
> 
> (Title comes from the song “Broken” by Seether, ft. Amy Lee, which nicely fits the mood of Keith and Ulaz’s heartfelt discussions in this. Not so much the kinky smut sandwiched between those discussions, but hey, can’t have everything) 
> 
> Tw for discussion of past body dysphoria and past medical malpractice. ~~also excessive cheese on Ulaz’s part~~

“You wanted to see me?”  

Ulaz looked up to find Keith standing hesitantly in the doorway of the base’s infirmary, having just knocked on the edge of the door.  

“Yes.”  Ulaz turned off the holo-screen he had been reading and beckoned him forward.  “There are some things we need to discuss.” 

“Was there a problem with my physical?”  Keith asked. The infirmary doors slid shut with a quiet hiss behind him.

“No, nothing like that.”  Ulaz shook his head. “If there had been, Kolivan would not have allowed you in the field.”  The Blade leader required all new recruits to undergo a physical examination before being cleared to work missions, just as a standard procedure.  Ulaz was a spy by trade, but he had some basic medical training from before he joined the Blades (enough to successfully infiltrate the ranks of the medics who worked directly under the druids), so he was generally in charge of checking over the new recruits to ensure they were in fighting condition.  Keith’s scans had been… unusual, to say the least, but Ulaz had managed to cross-reference the data with a few scans of the Champion -- Shiro -- that he had been able to smuggle back when he fled the command ship, and determined that the human-Galra hybrid was in reasonable, even excellent, health. 

“So, what is it?”  Keith asked. 

“In light of recent events, it has become quite clear that -- through no fault of your own, merely the circumstances -- there are some substantial gaps in your knowledge of Galra anatomy and biology.”  Ulaz crossed his arms. “That you were not even aware of the existence of your cock, let alone how to unsheath it, until only a few quintants ago -- several decaphoebes after puberty -- is rather alarming.  You need to understand how your body works, Keith.” 

“Oh no, do we really have to have the bird and the bees talk?”  Keith made a face.

Ulaz paused.  “I haven’t the faintest idea what either of those things are.”

“The birds and the bees?  A bird is a… flying creature from earth.”  Keith waved his hands to pantomime wings (Ulaz assumed).  “And bees are insects. Bugs. Like the  _ ihcabian _ wasps from that jungle planet, but yellow instead of blue.”

Ulaz stared at him, confusion not cleared up in the slightest.  “Would you… rather be transferred to the Blade of Marmora’s biology research sub-unit, given your interest in these winged creatures and insects?”

“No--” Keith rubbed his temples.  “The birds and the bees. It’s a talk, about...You know, like…” Keith made a vague gesture with his hands, which did not help clear up any of Ulaz’s confusion.  Keith looked increasingly uncomfortable. “Um, they call it that because, uh… well…” he paused and rested his chin in his hand. “Actually, I don’t know why they use that analogy.  It doesn’t really have anything to do with birds or bees.”

“Then what is it about?”  Ulaz asked. He knew he should really steer this conversation back to the original topic, but now his interest was piqued.

He wasn’t expecting Keith to turn bright red in the face at the question.  Was that normal, for humans? “Uh. Well… Sex.” Keith stammered. “Like, how sex… works.”  

Ulaz blinked.  Ah, so they  _ were  _ on the right track, after all.  He didn’t understand why Keith was acting so evasive, though.  “I think you have a fairly good idea of the mechanics of such activities by this point.”  He remarked dryly, thinking of Keith’s previous exploits (both that he had witnessed himself and heard about second-hand).  

“Yep, got it figured out.”  Keith fidgeted. “And I already got the whole  _ ‘magical introduction to your body’ _ spiel on a junior high school trip to the local health center, too -- plus all the trauma that came with being told what a penis is from an overly-friendly old lady in a vest and seeing an anatomy model fall on a kid because he tried to grab a plastic boob, good times --  So… Can I go now?” 

Ulaz arched an eyebrow at the younger Blade and regarded him with a flat, unimpressed look.  “Whatever education you’ve had on the matter, I doubt they covered Galran biology. We’ll start at the beginning, with genetic makeup and regenerative cell growth.”  He reached for a data-pad as Keith’s head dropped to his chest and his shoulders deflated in resignation.

Nearly a half-varga later, Ulaz could tell that Keith’s attention had wavered.  He was fidgety, foot bouncing and thumb rubbing over his index finger curled into a fist, like he was itching to run off to the training deck and get a blade or bayard back in his hand to spar.  

Ulaz looked at the cub in front of him over the top of his screen.  “Keith.” The word jolted his attention back to Ulaz, who frowned lightly.  “This information is pertinent to your health. If you break out in green hives, you won’t know what to do.”  

Keith sighed.  “Sorry. I’m just not good at this kind of stuff.  Sitting still, paying attention… I learn better with my hands, or by  _ doing _ whatever it is I’m supposed to be learning.”  

Ulaz nodded thoughtfully and turned off the screen.  He was not surprised, given how quickly Keith had picked up training with his blade.  “Then we will continue with a more hands-on approach. Come here.” 

Looking confused, Keith rose from his chair and went where Ulaz directed him, standing between Ulaz’s knees.  

Ulaz picked up Keith’s arm and turned it over, feeling the bone of his wrist underneath a thin layer of skin.  “Now for bone structure. Based on the scans we have of you, your bone composition is slightly different from a full-blooded Galra, but there are still similarities.  Due to a variety of minerals, Galra bones are lighter and stronger than those of other alien species.” He let his fingers slide up the length of Keith’s arm, carefully prodding at the bones and muscles as he went.  “There are even traces of luxite in the bones, which both strengthens them and allows only an individual with Galra blood -- or more accurately, bones -- to wield the luxite blades our group uses.” He reached the crux of Keith’s elbow, and running his finger along the inside of it yielded a twitch of his hand.  He must be sensitive there, Ulaz realized. “According to the scans from your physical, you have a slightly lower percentage of luxite and some other minerals unique to Galra bones. Perhaps that is why you were unable to unlock your blade’s second form for so long.” 

Keith hummed, but Ulaz couldn’t tell if it was a thoughtful sound or a distracted one.  

Nevertheless, he moved on.  Releasing his arm, he moved his hands to span over Keith’s ribcage, curling one hand around his side while his other hand felt for the place under the right pectoral where he knew Keith had experienced a fracture before.  “The composition of the bones enables them to heal at a much faster rate, something that I’m sure you’re familiar with.” 

“Y-yeah…” Keith’s voice sounded low and husky.  Somehow simultaneously distracted and yet attention very much riveted on Ulaz’s hands.  And was that…?

Ulaz looked up, nostrils flaring slightly as he scented the air.  “Are you… becoming aroused?” 

Keith’s ears went bright red again.  “You’re touching me!” He bristled defensively, but he didn’t step back.  

Ulaz’s gaze dropped to the body before him again, letting his hand slide down Keith’s side to his hip in a way that was half exploratory, half curious.  “You are remarkably sensitive. I wonder why…”

“You should find out.  Investigate that.” Keith told him, voice quiet and breathless, as if he was afraid Ulaz would turn him away.  He would do no such thing. 

Ulaz tugged him forward a little, widening the space between his knees to allow Keith to step closer.  “It must be your skin… Galra skin is tougher and thicker than that of humans. Yours is soft, most likely with greater density of nerves for heightened sensation.”  He gently ran the backs of his fingers over Keith’s cheek. “Much more susceptible to flushing.” He purred, following the motion up with the barest hint of a claw against his skin, the pressure enough to be felt but not enough to cut the delicate skin.      

Red bloomed over his cheeks anyway, though thankfully the blood stayed under his skin.  “You’re enjoying this.” Keith commented. 

“So long as the feeling is mutual, we can continue.”  Ulaz said. “I must admit, I am curious to see if the rest of you is just as sensitive.”  

Keith nodded, winding his arms around Ulaz’s neck and drawing him into a kiss as he slid himself onto the other Blade’s lap.  Ulaz’s hands came up to steady him in his lap, ensuring that he wouldn’t fall. Between kisses, they managed to strip each other of their armor and suits.  Ulaz’s hands never once left Keith’s body, nor did they remain still for longer than a tick as he sought to feel every inch of his body, cataloguing where he was especially sensitive with an interest that was only slightly academic.  The flush that traveled down his chest, the way his nipples hardened under Ulaz’s thumb, the shaking of his thighs as they squeezed around Ulaz’s hips, the heated, glazed look in his eyes as he pressed closer to Ulaz and kissed him with single-minded determination… every response from the young hybrid was fascinating to observe, and Ulaz felt a sense of pride at being the one who was able to draw such reactions out of him.  

“It is natural to be sensitive down here…” Ulaz purred and swallowed Keith’s gasp in a kiss as he slid his hand between his legs, fingers teasing at his emerging cock before moving further back.  “But you seem to be particularly responsive.” 

Keith bit his lip against a whimper as Ulaz slipped a finger inside of him.  “F-fuck…”

“So smooth and soft, even inside…” Ulaz marveled.  “The inner canals of Galra are slightly ribbed, you know.  It feels quite nice, and the angle of them helps move a cub along in birth.  But there is a certain novelty to this as well.” He stroked the pad of his finger along the inner wall and relished in the pleasured flutter around his finger as Keith squirmed in his lap, a quiet whine building in the back of his throat.  Ulaz leaned forward and kissed at the exposed length of his neck, gently thrusting his finger deeper. “We should get lube, before we continue.” 

“I thought you… didn’t need it?”  Keith asked, thighs shaking as Ulaz withdrew his finger.  

“I produce varying amounts of slick at different points in my cycle.”  Ulaz said simply, standing up and lifting Keith under the legs to hold him up.  “Besides, more cannot hurt.” He set Keith on the edge of the exam table in lieu of a proper bed and went to search through the drawers for lubricant.  He knew they had it somewhere in here… 

“Ulaz?”  Keith spoke up behind him, sounding uncertain.  “Can I ask a question? Medical question?” 

“Of course.”  Ulaz finally located a tube of lubricant (half-used… he suspected Antok; he never put things away properly) and turned back to Keith, who was sitting on the edge of the exam table with his legs parted as Ulaz had left him, but he looked troubled.  Ulaz felt a surge of protection toward him; he did not like to see him troubled. 

“So I have a…” Keith blushed and gestured toward his crotch.  “A… that kind of... hole. But I don’t know if-- do I have a uterus?  Testes? Ovaries? The doctors couldn’t tell, or they said whatever was there was misshapen and would never work anyway…”

“You do, and they are all in perfectly fine condition.”  Ulaz assured him. Reproductive health was hardly a priority in their line of work, but Ulaz was always sure to give those scans a quick look as well, just to make sure there were no underlying conditions that might manifest as an infection that could impact or threaten their work on missions.

Rather than looking reassured, though, Keith looked even more anxious and uneasy.  “So I do have a uterus?” 

“As do I.  All Galra do, regardless of the hormones they will their bodies to produce.”  Ulaz said. He placed the tube of lubricant off to the side on the exam table in favor of resting his hands on top of Keith’s thighs, sensing that they would not be continuing until Keith’s worries were settled.   

Keith’s brow furrowed.  “ _ Will _ their body to produce… hormones?  What does that mean?” 

“Galra have a great amount of control over the hormones their bodies produce.”  Ulaz explained, placing his own desire on the back burner while taking up the role of a professional again.  “For cubs, most of the body’s energy and hormonal growth is focused on bolstering the immune system and body’s natural defenses to ensure the cub’s survival.  When they are born, cubs are considered to have both every gender and none at all, a nebulous sort of concept. As they grow up, they might find themselves more inclined toward a particular gender presentation, and the body begins producing the hormones necessary in the specific amounts to match that gender, though signs are seldom obvious until puberty.  Even then, it is far from fixed; if they identify with another gender later in life, the body will alter its hormones to accommodate that, although the transition can take a few months to become fully apparent.”

Keith’s eyes widened.  “So… that must be why I’ve always looked like a guy, because I always felt like one.  But the doctors said I was producing estrogen, but an unusually high amount of testosterone for a girl, and they didn’t know why.”

“All Galra produce some amount of both estrogen and testosterone.”  Ulaz huffed, privately infuriated at the incompetence of these Earth doctors Keith had seen.  “That is another reason Galra bones are so strong. It is also part of why male-identifying Galra are able to bear cubs.”  

That made Keith pause.  “They can?”

“Of course.”  Ulaz nodded. “It would be foolish and restrictive to limit cub-bearing to one gender.”

“So, I could, potentially?”  Keith asked in a small voice.  “I’m not… it’s not too misshapen and defective?”  

_ Oh… _ Ulaz’s heart ached at the implication; someone must have told him that, likely on more than one occasion, to have become such a concern.  From his phrasing, Ulaz had to wonder if Keith thought  _ himself _ to be the thing that was ‘misshapen and defective’, rather than any organ in question.  

“You could, if you wished.”  Ulaz slid one of his hands around his waist.  “You are in perfect health, Keith. Those doctors were simply ignorant of Galra biology, and they were wrong to say those things to you.”  He stroked his thumb over the bare skin of Keith’s thigh, soothing and grounding. Some of the tension visibly seeped out of Keith’s shoulders as he relaxed a bit.  He gnawed on the corner of his bottom lip, seemingly lost in thought. Ulaz didn’t rush him. He couldn’t imagine the confusion and distress Keith had been through because of this lack of information.   _ Defective _ … Ulaz would like to rip out the throat of anyone who would dare to so much as insinuate that a child -- any child, but especially a perfectly healthy Galra hybrid -- was in any way  _ defective _ .  Of course such careless words were bound to leave a scar into adulthood.  But the perpetrators were likely long gone, and Keith needed him here and calm and in the moment, so he held his peace and waited for him to gather his thoughts.  

After a few moments, Keith nodded once to himself and scooted closer, wrapping his arms around the back of Ulaz’s neck and bracketing the Galra’s hips with his thighs.  “Thank you,” he whispered, a hand coming up to card through the crest of white hair along the top of Ulaz’s head. “Can we still…?” 

Ulaz let out a low purr and drew him closer.  “Of course, little blade. Let me show you how beautiful every part of you is, and how wonderful you truly are.”  

Keith let out a startled moan and melted into his arms, but Ulaz wasn’t sure if it was because of the words or the way Ulaz started nibbling at the soft, sensitive skin just below his ear.  Though he lacked the scent glands that were common for Galra there, it seemed to still be an erogenous zone. 

Ulaz slid his lips down the line of his throat, the delicate jut of his collarbone (delighting in the reaction a careful nip of his sharp teeth to that spot caused) and worked his way down his chest with tongue, teeth, and fingers drawing little gasps and whines and moans from Keith, gradually building the heat of the mood back up.  He dropped to his knees, broad shoulders inadvertently pushing Keith’s legs to spread wider, and took his time mapping the planes of his muscles and nuzzling his firm stomach. Keith tangled his fingers in Ulaz’s hair and leaned back to offer him better access, which Ulaz gladly took advantage of as he dipped lower to take Keith’s cock into his mouth.

“Oh!”  Keith gasped at the heat surrounding his cock, his hips bucking up into the sensation.  Ulaz placed a hand over his abdomen to keep him still. His hand spanned the entire width of Keith’s stomach, and something dark and warm curled deep in his gut at the size difference.  His fingers drifted lower as he swirled his long, dexterous tongue around Keith’s length, carefully pressing and massaging the sheath at the base to coax the rest of it out. The muscles of Keith’s abdomen shook and shuddered under Ulaz’s other hand, and before his arms could give out from under him, the younger Blade leaned back until he was lying on the exam table, even hooking a leg over Ulaz’s shoulder to urge him closer.  That position worked out just fine for Ulaz, who eased off Keith’s cock to thumb at the head while his lips traveled lower, lapping at the place where Keith was practically gushing slick. As his tongue breached him, Keith let out a moan that made fire burn in Ulaz’s core. 

“Ulaz… please…” Keith begged as Ulaz licked deeper.  “Want you… want you in me…  _ please _ …” 

Ulaz resisted the temptation to point out that he  _ was _ in him in favor of humming deeply and rubbing his thumb into the leaking slit at the head of Keith’s cock, the sensations pulling a cry out of the boy under him.  Fragments of curse words and broken pleas fell from Keith’s lips as he wound his fingers into Ulaz’s hair and begged for his cock, he needed it, please… 

When Ulaz had him built-up and shaking, he took pity on him and pulled back.  His golden eyes hungrily drank in the sight as he ran his hands up and down Keith’s body, leaving no part of him untouched.  “Gorgeous…” he murmured appreciatively, even as Keith’s blush deepened. Ulaz reached for the lube and ensured that his cock was slick enough before lining himself up.  “If I could, I would caress every inch of you, inside and out. Show you the perfection of every part of you.” 

He pushed in slowly.  Keith groaned and arched his back at the stretch from the thick, textured head .  Ulaz rocked in deeper bit by bit and grit his teeth to stop himself from thrusting recklessly into the tight, silken heat.  “So soft, so strong…” As if to echo Ulaz’s words, Keith’s walls clenched tight around him while Keith himself let out a low moan.  Ulaz leaned down enough to lick at the hollow of his throat, one hand gripping his hip and the other still planted on his stomach, feeling the muscles tense and shake with pleasure.  Ulaz let out a low purr. “I wish my cock could reach the very depths of you… all the way up to your womb, so warm and strong like the rest of you…”

“ _ Fuck _ …” Keith’s breath left him in a startled rush, and Ulaz feared for a moment he had gone too far, but Keith threw his arms around his neck and tightened a leg around the back of Ulaz’s hips, squirming under his hands.  “Fuck, I want it… I want it so bad…” He murmured, eyes squeezed shut. 

Ulaz soothed him with a kiss below his ear and rocked into him as far as he could.  “The others would all jump at the chance to take you so deeply too, you know. See to your every comfort, your every desire.  A cock in you at all times, keeping you pumped so full your womb would ache. You wouldn’t even need a plug; we’d just keep a knot in you at all times.  You could be our little breeder, kept and cock-happy.” 

“Yes!”  Keith cried out.  His walls tightened so much that Ulaz thought he might actually get sucked in as far as he said.  He could tell Keith was close. 

Ulaz started to shift the hand planted on his abdomen lower, intending to fist his cock to completion, but Keith grabbed his hand and kept it where it was splayed over his belly.  

“I want… I want…” Keith was babbling, eyes shut against the pleasure rocking through him.  His fingers threaded clumsily with Ulaz’s to keep him in place, and it gave Ulaz an idea. 

“You want to see yourself swollen with our cum?  With our cubs?” He purred close to Keith’s ear. At his vigorous nod, he went on.  “You want a cub suckling at each teat, two more eagerly waiting for their turn, while another litter grows inside you?  Letting us dress you in fine gossamer robes like our own royal concubine... The future of the Blade ensured because of your strength, because its future warriors were sired by the strongest, nimblest, most noble Blade among our ranks, who would remain doted upon and taken care of in every way you could want for…” 

“I-I’m not…” A thread of uncertainty crept into Keith’s voice.  

“Do not think of denying it.”  Ulaz growled, holding him close.  “You are so precious, Keith. It would be an honor to entrust the future of the Blade with you, and a privilege to breed you over and over again until you are satisfied.”  

Keith let out a broken whine, clinging to Ulaz and clenching tight around him.  He was close, very close. 

“You would be insatiable.”  A pleased growl rumbled in Ulaz’s chest.  “One after another, taking our cocks, feeling empty without a knot in you.  So much that you would become drunk on our cum… Wouldn’t that be a sight; our little spitfire breeder Blade, languid and relaxed with fucked-out bliss.  So tempting for any Blade passing by to take you and breed you full again.”

Keith came with a shout, his back arching up off the table and his toes curling against Ulaz’s back as cum painted his stomach.  Ulaz managed a few more deep thrusts before coming as well, the flexible plates covering the head of his cock flaring to form a knot that kept them locked together.  Keith’s breath hitched at the swelling sensation, but his eyes fluttered shut with a content sigh. Ulaz nuzzled the side of his head and carded his claws through dark, sweaty hair.  

When Keith had finally caught his breath, he opened his eyes and let out a sigh.  “That,” his voice sounded raw. “Is a kink I was not aware I had…”

Ulaz chuckled and rubbed a thumb over Keith’s abdomen.  “I will be glad to indulge you in it whenever you wish.”  

Keith pushed a hand through his hair, brow furrowing in thought.  “It’s weird, because that was hot as fuck, but… I don’t  _ want  _ to be pregnant.  I don’t think I can; I’m not ready for that.  I didn’t even think it was possible until today...”  Suddenly he went stiff. “Shit, Ulaz, you have to get out, we didn’t use protection--” he pushed at the Galra, but the knot inside him held firm and pulled unpleasantly at both of them.  “Fuck, fuck, I didn’t think this through…” Keith muttered to himself. To Ulaz’s horror, tears sprang to his eyes in his distress.

“Keith, please calm yourself,” Ulaz was worried about the fear radiating from the younger Blade, his stomach twisting sickeningly at the thought that he had somehow accidentally caused it.  “Relax, and it will be easier for me to get the knot down.”

Keith bit back a whimper and took a few deep breaths.  Ulaz concentrated on forcing the knot back down -- a painful process, but not as painful as knowing Keith did not want to be knotted after all -- and managed to pull out with only minimal discomfort for both parties.  

Keith pressed his palms over his eyes, mouth twisted into a grimace.  “Fuck, it’s probably too late… the group mating, Regris, Antok, you… I didn’t use protection for any of it; the doctors said I was sterile and nothing down there worked anyway, so I thought it was okay.  I didn’t think… I didn’t know...” Keith took his hands away from his face and looked up at Ulaz desperately. “There’s gotta be something, some kind of Galra Plan-B or emergency birth control… I can’t get pregnant, Ulaz, I can’t--”

“Keith, please calm down and listen to me.”  Ulaz helped him sit up and cupped his cheek. “Your biology already has its own birth control; Galra have selective gamete developmental pausing controlled by the brain, so if you truly do not want to conceive or are in an unsuitable environment that would risk the safety of you and your cub, your body will simply not produce any eggs and will flush the sperm.”  

Keith’s brow furrowed, but some of the fear eased out of the lines of his face.  “Really?”

“Yes.”  Ulaz nodded.  “You are young, you do not have a bonded Galra mate, and you are constantly under a high level of stress from training and fighting.  All that, coupled with a strong, unwavering lack of desire for cubs, means that it would be nearly impossible to conceive without you first making some drastic changes to your lifestyle.”  He sighed and looked down. “Even Galra who wish to conceive struggle to, given the environmental stressors. Cub-rearing is a luxury often denied to those embroiled in war.” 

Keith watched him carefully.  “You want to.” He realized. 

Ulaz picked up their discarded suits and handed Keith his.  “I did, and perhaps one day I will be able to, but it is simply not feasible in my situation.”  His voice turned bitter. “My hands were meant for healing and caring, before the Empire forced me to paint them with blood.  And this base is no place to raise a cub, especially not when any of our lives can be extinguished at a moment’s notice. One wrong move, one mistake in the field, and that cub would be left an orphan.  I could never do that.” He cared too much; he always had. It was one of the reasons he went against Kolivan’s too-cautious orders and freed Shiro when he found the human’s life to be in danger. He couldn’t see him be killed for Haggar’s experiments.  In the same vein, he couldn’t bring a cub into the dangerous corner of the universe he inhabited, nor could he bear to leave his brothers to fight while he fled to some far-off planet just to raise a family. He would rather struggle himself to create a safer world where he could, potentially, if he managed to survive, raise a family in peace, rather than bring hardship upon a cub’s life because they were born into war.  As an orphan himself, he refused to pass on such a hardship to his own cubs. 

Keith nodded in understanding, his heart feeling heavy.  

Ulaz turned back to him with a small, sad smile.  “But there is little harm in indulging in fantasy every now and again.”  He reached out to cup Keith’s cheek.

Keith returned the smile with one of his own, lifting his hand to lay it over Ulaz’s.  “If you ever want to indulge it again yourself, I’d be happy to help. Can’t promise my dirty talk would be as good as yours, though.”  

Ulaz chuckled and leaned forward to draw him into a kiss.                  

**Author's Note:**

> BONUS, an approximation of how the beginning conversation started to go before I decided it was going too far off track:
> 
> Ulaz: “...I still don’t get it.”
> 
> Keith: “I guess women are supposed to be the birds, because they have eggs, and men are supposed to be the bees, because they… pollinate? Kinda? Because sperm is like pollen??”
> 
> Ulaz: “But… everyone has eggs, everyone has sperm…” *sees Keith shaking his head at that* “Okay but humans still don’t produce pollen.” 
> 
> Keith, thinking about it. “No, actually… most humans are allergic to pollen.”
> 
> Ulaz, sputtering: “Then _why_ is a substance that produces a toxic-like effect used to illustrate _reproduction_ to _children_??”
> 
> Keith, putting his head down: “I have no idea.”
> 
> Ulaz: “Alright, even putting aside that nonsense… Birds mate with birds, and bees mate with bees, so _birds and bees can’t even procreate together! A female bird would just eat the male bee, not have offspring with it! The analogy has no bearing on reality!_ ”
> 
> Keith, throwing his hands up: “ _I never said it made sense!_ ” 
> 
>  
> 
> ~~That would more turn into _Keith_ giving _Ulaz_ “the birds and the bees talk”, lmao~~
> 
>  
> 
> Story time: the health center near my town was right next to the forest preserve, so I got on the bus rather excited to go on our “birds and bees” class trip (and coyotes! And ducks! Herons! Frogs! Teacher why only talk about two of the animals when there are so many?!) but I very quickly learned the meaning of the word “disappointment” when the presentation started. Spoiler: there were no coyotes. >:[


End file.
